Omaha Storm Chasers

Omaha has been home to Minor League Baseball teams since the late 19th century. The city's professional baseball history dates back to 1879 with the formation of the Omaha Green Stockings, who were charter members of the Northwestern League.^[4] They were followed by other teams, such as the Omahogs, Lambs, Indians, Rangers, Rourkes, Buffaloes, Crickets, and Packers, that competed in either the Western League or Western Association through 1936.^[4] The Omaha Cardinals were the city's team from 1947 to 1959 as members of the Class A Western League before joining the Triple-A American Association in 1955.^[4] After having no team in 1960, the Omaha Dodgers represented the city in the American Association from 1961 to 1962.^[4] The league disbanded after the 1962 season,^[5] leaving Omaha without professional baseball for the next six years.^[4]

The Omaha Royals were established in 1969 as members of the American Association (AA) to serve as the Triple-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals,^[6][7] who were a product of the 1969 Major League Baseball expansion.^[8] Omaha's team was named for and owned by their Major League Baseball (MLB) affiliate.^[9] Their home ballpark was Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium, which was built in 1948.^[10]

Managed by Jack McKeon in their inaugural 1969 season,^[11] the Royals won the American Association championship with an 85–55 record, six games ahead of the second-place Tulsa Oilers.^[12] McKeon was selected for the AA Manager of the Year Award.^[13] In 1970, he led the Royals to win the Eastern Division title with a 73–65 record.^[14] In the best-of-seven postseason playoffs, Omaha defeated the Denver Bears, 4–1, to win their second league championship.^[14] They then advanced to the Junior World Series to face the Syracuse Chiefs, champions of the Triple-A International League, but they lost the series, 4–1.^[15] McKeon won a second Manager of the Year Award, and outfielder George Spriggs was selected as the AA Most Valuable Player (MVP).^[13] Though Omaha was unable to qualify for the playoffs over the next five seasons, two Royals were chosen for league awards during this stretch: second baseman Jim Wohlford as the 1972 Rookie of the Year and Mark Littell as the 1973 Most Valuable Pitcher.^[13] Many players from those early teams helped the Major League Royals win four out of five AL West titles from 1976 to 1980, culminating in a World Series appearance in 1980.

In 1976 and 1977, the Royals won back-to-back Eastern Division titles but lost both seasons' league championships to Denver.^[16][17] Outfielder Clint Hurdle was selected as the 1977 AA Rookie of the Year.^[13] Behind manager John Sullivan,^[18] Omaha won the 1978 Western Division title before winning their third American Association championship over the Indianapolis Indians, 4–1.^[19] The team next qualified for the playoffs in 1981 and 1982 but lost in the championship round each time, first to Denver and then Indianapolis.^[20] Joe Sparks won the Manager of the Year Award in 1981, and third baseman Manny Castillo was the same season's MVP.^[13]

In February 1985, Kansas City sold the Omaha Royals to Chicago businessman Irving "Gus" Cherry for an undisclosed sum, citing financial losses from operating their own Triple-A club; their major league affiliation continued.^[21] Meanwhile, in the midst of another postseason drought from 1983 to 1987, Mark Huismann won the 1985 Most Valuable Pitcher Award.^[13]

Omaha won three consecutive Western Division titles from 1988 to 1989. On the first two occasions, they lost the AA championship to Indianapolis in the single-round playoffs.^[22][23] First baseman Luis de los Santos was the 1988 league MVP.^[13] Then, manager Sal Rende guided the team to a fourth American Association title with a 3–2 series win over the Nashville Sounds in 1990.^[24][25] The Royals capped off the season by winning the Triple-A Classic versus the International League champion Rochester Red Wings, 4–1.^[15] Rende was voted the league's Manager of the Year.^[13]

The team was sold to the Union Pacific Railroad and minority investors Warren Buffett and Walter Scott for US$5 million following the 1991 season.^[26] From 1991 to 1997, the Royals made two postseason appearances in which they were eliminated in both the 1995 and 1996 semifinals.^[27][28] The 1994 season saw outfielder Dwayne Hosey selected as league MVP and first baseman Joe Vitiello win Rookie of the Year.^[13]

The American Association, of which the Royals had been members since 1969, disbanded after the 1997 season, and its teams were absorbed by the two remaining Triple-A leagues—the International League and Pacific Coast League (PCL). Omaha joined the PCL, becoming one of the easternmost team in the circuit.^[29] Though they did not qualify for the playoffs, two Royals outfielders were selected for league awards in the team's first PCL season: Chris Hatcher as the Most Valuable Player and Jeremy Giambi as Rookie of the Year.^[30]

In early 1998, Omaha began considering a name change to distinguish the Royals from their major league affiliate and to market the minor league club as Omaha's team rather than Kansas City's Triple-A affiliate.^[31] Fans and team officials voted to rebrand as the Omaha Golden Spikes beginning with the 1999 seasons.^[32] The name was a reference to the golden spike driven at Promontory Summit, Utah, to celebrate the completion of the first transcontinental railroad in 1869. It was intended to celebrate the rich railroad tradition in Omaha, headquarters of the Union Pacific Railroad.^[32] The Golden Spikes won the 1999 American Conference Midwest Division title but lost the American Conference title to the Oklahoma RedHawks.^[33] Outfielder Mark Quinn was voted the PCL's Rookie of the Year that season.^[30]

Union Pacific sold their 50-percent share in the team to Connecticut businessman Matt Minker in early 2001; Buffett and Scott retained their minority interests.^[34] Shortly thereafter, the team launched a fan vote to see about changing the team's name, which had been associated with Union Pacific and proved to be unpopular with many fans.^[34] As a result, the team switched back to being the Omaha Royals beginning with the 2002 season as fans cited a wish to continue with the tradition associated with the name, which had been in use from 1969 to 1998.^[35] Minker later sold his interest in the team to Kentucky businessman Bill Shea in 2006.^[36]

From 2000 to 2010, the Royals regularly finished in third or fourth place out of four teams in their division, which left them out of the playoff picture.^[6] The team experienced several changes over the next few years. The 2010 season became the last that the team played at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium, their home field since 1969.^[10] The team moved into the new $26-million Werner Park in 2011.^[37]

Prior to opening Werner Park, the team rebranded as the Omaha Storm Chasers following rounds of fan submissions and voting. The name references storm chasers, people who pursue any severe weather phenomena for various purposes; Nebraska, and Omaha itself, being in Tornado Alley, have been havens for many such chasers.^[1]

The Storm Chasers played their first home game at Werner Park on April 16, 2011, defeating the Nashville Sounds, 2–1, before 6,533 people in attendance.^[38] Manager Mike Jirschele led Omaha to a 79–63 record and the American Conference Northern Division title, which gave the team their first postseason berth since 1999.^[39][40] They defeated the Round Rock Express, 3–1, in the best-of-five American Conference series to advance to the league finals.^[39] The Storm Chasers won their first Pacific Coast League championship by sweeping the Sacramento River Cats, 3–0, in the best-of-five championship round.^[39] The win gave Omaha a spot in the Triple-A National Championship Game, a single game to determine a champion of Triple-A baseball, versus the International League champion Columbus Clippers, which they lost, 8–3.^[41] Jirschele won the Mike Coolbaugh Award,^[42] and Luis Mendoza was selected as the PCL Pitcher of the Year.^[30]

Jirschele's Storm Chasers returned to the playoffs in 2012 by virtue of winning the division and won a second American Conference title, but they were defeated in the championship round by the Reno Aces, 3–1.^[40][43] In 2013 with Jirschele at the helm,^[40] Omaha finished the season at 70–74 with another division title.^[44] After besting the Oklahoma City RedHawks, 3–0, for the conference title, they won a second PCL championship over the Salt Lake Bees, 3–1.^[44] Returning to the Triple-A National Championship Game, Omaha defeated the International League's Durham Bulls, 2–1, for their first class-level title since 1990.^[45] Managed by Brian Poldberg in 2014,^[46] Omaha won their fourth consecutive American Conference Northern Division title on the heels of a 76–67 season.^[47] After winning the conference title over the Memphis Redbirds, 3–1, Omaha won back-to-back PCL championships with a 3–2 series win over Reno.^[47] They also repeated as Triple-A champions by defeating the Pawtucket Red Sox, 4–2.^[48]

In the midst of a four-year playoff run, which would be Omaha's last in the PCL, the team's ownership changed hands in 2012. Bill Shea, Warren Buffett, and Walter Scott sold the team to Alliance Baseball LLC, led by managing owner Gary Green.^[49] The Storm Chasers did not qualify for the postseason from 2015 to 2019. The start of the 2020 season was initially postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic before being cancelled altogether.^[50][51]

In conjunction with Major League Baseball's restructuring of Minor League Baseball in 2021, the Storm Chasers were placed in the Triple-A East.^[52] No playoffs were held to determine a league champion; instead, the team with the best regular-season record was declared the winner.^[53] Omaha ended the season in eighth place with a 66–54 record.^[54] However, 10 games that had been postponed from the start of the season were reinserted into the schedule as a postseason tournament called the Triple-A Final Stretch in which all 30 Triple-A clubs competed for the highest winning percentage.^[53] Omaha finished the tournament tied for fourth place with a 7–2 record.^[55] Jackson Kowar was selected as the league's Pitcher of the Year, and shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. was chosen as its Top MLB Prospect.^[56] In 2022, the Triple-A East became known as the International League (IL), the name historically used by the regional circuit prior to the 2021 reorganization.^[57]

Omaha has several sets of uniforms. The home whites have "Storm Chasers" across the chest and the player's number below in royal blue and gold, with royal blue piping around the neck, down the center of the jersey, and around the two sleeves. A Kansas City Royals patch adorns the left sleeve. The number on the back is a larger version of the one on the front, with the player's name arching above it in blue. The white pants have a blue line running up both legs and are capped off with a blue belt.^[114] The primary hat is solid royal blue with a spinning tornado logo (Vortex) on the front.^[115]

One alternate jersey is powder blue with "Storm Chasers" across the front, similar to the home whites. These are often paired with a solid powder blue cap with an interlocking "SC" styled as a mixture of a tornado and a baseball.^[116] The player's number is located on the back in white.^[117] A second alternate is solid royal blue with a logo on the left chest resembling an "O" with parts of a lightning bolt extending diagonally from the top and bottom.^[118] The player's number appears on the back in gold.^[119] These are worn with solid blue caps bearing the same gold logo as on the jersey.^[118] A third alternate is black with a large O/lightning bolt logo in powder blue on the center with lightning bolts of the same color around the sides of the jersey.^[120] The player's name is on the back in powder blue.^[121] These are paired with a powder blue cap with a black bill and black O/lightning bolt logo on the front.^[120]

One member of the team has received an award issued by Minor League Baseball.

Fifteen players and three managers have won league awards in recognition for their performance with Omaha.^[13][30][56]

The Storm Chasers have honored five individuals by retiring their uniform numbers.^[122] This ensures that the number will be associated with one player of particular importance to the team. The Kansas City Royals' retired numbers are also retired throughout their minor league organization. Three such numbers (5, 10, and 20) are thusly also retired in Omaha, while two others (23 and 27) are retired for Omaha personnel.^[123] An additional number (42) was retired across professional baseball to honor Jackie Robinson, the first African American to play in Major League Baseball in the modern era.^[124]

Since being established in 1969, Omaha has had six majority owners.^[9]

Specific

General

• Eisenberg, Jake (2022). 2022 Omaha Storm Chasers Media Guide. Archived from the original on August 17, 2022 – via Calameo.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Omaha Storm Chasers.

• Official website
• Statistics from Baseball-Reference
• Nebraska Minor League Baseball History